Radio Silence
by doopdoop2
Summary: Kirishima is hit by a quirk that leaves him fully aware, but completely unable to move. His friends make it a little bit better.
1. Chapter 1

Kirishima wakes up like he is rising from the depths of the ocean. He feels drugged, or perhaps just painfully, bone-achingly tired. Yet even after time passes – he isn't sure how much time – he realizes that he cannot move.

He isn't restrained; sensation has come back to his limbs, although everything feels very far away, and he can tell he's on something soft, probably a bed, covered by a blanket. There's a tightness in one of his arms that might be an IV, but overall his body feels fine, whole. If he was injured, it's all been healed.

Because he cannot move, he can't open his eyes, but he can tell when the room gets suddenly brighter – the lights are flicked on, maybe, or someone abruptly opens the curtains. He hears footsteps, drawing nearer and nearer before stopping. Desperately Kirishima tries to remember where he was and how he got there, but he can't remember anything. It was the weekend, right? The last thing he remembers is deciding to leave campus to go shopping with some people – he can't remember the shopping itself, just planning it, can't remember if it's Friday or Saturday or maybe even Sunday.

"Recovery Girl says it's from a quirk." The voice is Uraraka's, low and worried, and comes from near his left ear. "She says he's all healed physically, but…"

He doesn't know who she's talking to. After a beat, he hears her turn and leave.

.

He is not sure if he's awake or not. His body feels like it's perpetually in that state between sleep and wakefulness, but he's pretty sure the things he hears aren't dreams. They're way too mundane for that. He hears what must be nurses, discussing a different patient, using medical terms he wouldn't understand under the best of circumstances; he hears footsteps in the hall and the sound of a vacuum in the next room. Time seems to stretch out forever. He wishes he was sleeping, so at least dreams could give him _some_ source of entertainment, but he's left with the scatterings of ambient noise and his own fractured thoughts.

Later, although he has no idea how much later, there are more voices. These, he can recognize, although they're blending together so that he cannot make out any individual strain of conversation. He hears Ashido and Midoriya and Hagakure; he can pick out Kaminari after a moment, and what he thinks might be Sero, but he isn't sure. To try and pick out what they are saying is like listening to an orchestra and trying to hear the notes of an individual instrument. It's much easier for Kirishima to relax and let the voices blend together. The familiarity of their voices is somehow soothing.

More footsteps, someone new entering the room. The voices still. "We're researching this quirk. The villain has used it on law enforcement in the past," a new voice announces, and Kirishima can tell it's Aizawa. "It will go away on its own after a few weeks…"

"A few _weeks_?" That has to be Bakugou.

"…or if we catch the perpetrator, of course," Aizawa continues, ignoring the outburst. "And I was able to speak directly to one of the police officers who got hit." A pause. "He says he was fully aware the entire time."

A long silence, until someone says simply, "What?"

"He was unable to move, but he could hear and feel everything the entire time." Footsteps again, this time moving towards the door. "I've got to go see how the search is getting on."

"W-wait! Aizawa-sensei!" It's Midoriya, and Kirishima hears him follow the teacher out, hears his voice getting softer as they get further away. "Tell me about this quirk! What do you mean when you say…"

The room is cast into a stunned silence that lasts for maybe thirty seconds. "That sounds like bullshit," Bakugou says. "Wasn't that guy's quirk 'Sleep'-something? So shouldn't Kirishima be, you know… asleep?"

"It was Sleep Paralysis," someone else says. Kaminari, Kirishima thinks. "Oh my God…"

"Is it true?" Ashido says. Kirishima hears her draw closer, feels the press of her arm on his shoulder. "Kirishima, can you hear us?"

"He's not going to answer you, fuckhead."

"That legitimately sounds like _hell_ ," someone else says, and Kirishima can't follow who it is anymore, there are too many people, they're standing on both sides of him now. He wants to open his eyes – or better, just to say, _Yes, that's right, I can hear you, I hear everything_ – but of course, he can't even move any part of himself.

"He's not in pain, right?"

"He didn't even need to be healed. Just scrapes and bruises from hitting the ground."

"Well, that's good. So he's not suffering or anything."

"Uhh, hello!" It's Kaminari. "I'm pretty sure 'hearing everything but not being able to move' counts as suffering!"

A pause. "Yeah, true," someone else says, her tone sad. Hagakure, maybe. If so, it's miles away from the perky tone Kirishima is used to from her. "It sounds really boring. And lonely."

"We have to come in every day to keep him company." It's Ashido, and Kirishima feels her squeeze his shoulder. It's reassuring – somehow the contact makes him feel more real. "You _know_ he'd do the same for us."

He feels a little swell of pride at that.

"I can bring in a radio to leave in here while we're in class." It's Jirou – he hadn't even realized she was here. Kirishima wonders how many people are in the room, wishes desperately that he could see. "That's better than nothing, right?"

"That's a really good idea," Mina says. "We should make some sort of schedule so someone's with him all the time when we're not in school, to keep him company."

"What good would that do?" Bakugou says. Kirishima hears the sneer in his voice. "What would one person do? Sit next to him and read? Do their homework?" A pause. "It has to be _two_ people, idiot."

"Oh my God, Bakugou, you're totally right," Hagakure says. "That makes so much sense!"

Bakugou doesn't answer, and it's Mina who speaks next. "Let's make a signup sheet," she says. "We can hang it in the classroom. Everyone loves you so much, Kirishima. I'm sure there won't be a minute you're alone if we can help it."

.

But he is alone at night.

The hospital doesn't allow guests at night, probably. Or so he reassures himself. He isn't sure if he's sleeping, or how much; he tries counting his breaths to try and keep track of time, but every few hundred he loses count. Oh God, he feels like he's going insane. He can't tell if the sky's getting brighter or if that's just a light that's been on the whole time. _Get me a clock that chimes the hour_ , he wants to tell them, whenever they come next. _Something,_ anything _to give me some sense of the passage of time_. The night felt like an endless hallway, stretching on into forever.

Finally he hears footsteps, someone approaching his bed. Jirou's voice: "Hey Kirishima. I brought that radio I promised. I don't know what kind of music you like, so… I'll just set it to my favorite station." He hears a click, then the white-noise sound of ads. "Sorry I can't stay any longer, I'm going to be late for class as it is."

The radio's set to a hard-rock station, and normally Kirishima isn't too fond of that, but holy hell does it make all the difference for him that day. There's some sort of morning talk show where they play a trivia game, and between the music and the traffic updates and the weather forecast he feels like a real person again, living on Earth instead of some sort of awful purgatory. He owes Jirou so much for that little radio, he thinks. More than he could make up to her in a lifetime.

The daytime hours pass much more quickly than the nighttime ones did, and Kirishima is almost surprised when he hears more people from his class approaching. "Today sucked," Hagakure announced. "Everyone missed you."

"I can't believe they made us go to class when he's…" Kaminari trailed off, sighed.

"Well, if he truly is going to be unconscious for several weeks, it would be highly impractical to suspend school for that entire period of time…"

"Shut the fuck up, glasses-face!"

"…but I agree with Kaminari and Hagakure. It certainly makes it hard to focus when a member of our class is in such a state."

"On the upside," Ashido says, "we've got the entire signup filled out for the next two weeks! You won't need to spend a minute alone, Kirishima."

"Except for, you know, 9 pm to 8 am, and when we're in school," Sero says morosely.

Ashido sighs. "You're such a downer, dude."

"Ooh," Hagakure squeals, "read the list! Who's with who?"

Kirishima hears the unzip of a backpack, the crinkling of paper. Ashido clears her throat. "So it starts tomorrow," she says. "Since I figured we could just hang out here today. Alright, tomorrow we've got Midoriya, Iida and Uraraka from right after school until 4, then Hagakure and Sato from 4 to 5, Jiro and Yaoyorozu from 5 to 6, myself and Kaminari from 7 until 8, and Bakugou from 8 to 9." She pauses. "Bakugou, weren't you the one who said it should be groups of two or more? Look at this, you guys, he scribbled out the space for the other names to go."

"I just didn't want any idiots signing up with me."

"But the point is –"

"I know the point," Bakugou grumbles. "I can keep him entertained or whatever by myself."

"Don't do anything weird!" Hagakure says, giggling.

"Ahem," Ashido says again. "On Wednesday, it's me, Aoyama and Sero for an hour, then… Hagakure and Iida for three hours? Is that right?"

"It's the day before that big English test, so no one wanted to do it," Hagakure says. "But Iida promised he'd help me study!"

"That's very upstanding of you, Iida."

"It's my pleasure!"

"And then Bakugou for the remaining two hours," she finishes.

"Yeah, yeah," Bakugou grumbles. "I don't need the lecture again."

"Wasn't going to say anything. So on Thursday…"

Kirishima can't keep track of all of the names, but his heart positively _swells_ with happiness and pride. Everyone in his class is volunteering to spend time with him, it seems like, and even a few people from outside of it.

On all sides of him, Kirishima can hear them getting out their things and starting homework. How many people are even in the room? It seemed like half his class.

A few hours later, he hears some of the group leave and return shortly with food. Kirishima can smell it, can nearly feel his mouth watering. "Don't _even_ say anything, Iida!" he hears Hagakure say. "This is probably against the rules, but desperate times call for desperate measures!"

"I-I wasn't going to, I swear!"

The room is lulled into a sleepy calm as the evening goes on. Kirishima can hear people leaving, one by one. "Oh, yeah," he hears Jirou say from quite close by, "what kind of music does he like to listen to?"

"Good question," Ashido says. "Pop? I think?"

"Yeah, pop," Kaminari says. "That's what he works out to."

"Got it." Kirishima hears the rock station start up, then the buzz of static as Jirou reconfigures the radio. After a moment he hears a more familiar song. It makes him feel warm that they know what he likes to listen to, and that they care.

The remaining handful of people say goodbye. He feels Ashido stroke his forehead the way you might to comfort a sick person; Kaminari ruffles his hair. Slowly, one by one, he hears his friends leave, until all he can hear is the radio.

About an hour later, someone turns the radio off.

.

His hell stretches longer the next day – from, he estimates, ten at night, until school lets out in the mid-afternoon. Anything would be better than that agonizing _boredom_.

Thank God that as soon as he hears the sound of people approaching, just a moment after they enter the room, he hears Midoriya's voice: "The radio's off!"

"What did you say?" Uraraka asks.

"The radio. The one Jirou brought. I thought it was going to be kept on all night."

"I guess someone turned it off?"

"I'll let Ashido know," Midoriya says.

He must have, because when she and Kaminari arrive she addresses Kirishima directly. She's one of the few people who does, and he likes it – it makes him feel less like he's a ghost. "I heard someone turned the radio off last night," she says. "I'm sorry about that. I'll write a note. Hey, Kaminari, you got a pen?"

Kirishima hears a shuffling, the sound of a pen being uncapped. "Here. It says, 'Please keep radio on at all times!' with three exclamation points. Do you think that's enough?"

"Maybe you should say why or something?"

"There's not really enough space. I could do an asterisk and explain it on the back, maybe…"

"Should we, like, tape it to his face? So they can't miss it?"

He hears Ashido's giggle. "Not a bad idea, honestly. Nah, I'll stick it… in front of the radio. They can't miss that. Hopefully."

Even without the radio on, that evening he can mark the passage of time by who's in the room with him. So when he hears a new person approaching, and Ashido says, "Oh, there's Bakugou," he knows it must be about eight o'clock.

"We were just heading out." A pause, then she adds, "Apparently the radio was switched off overnight. It was off the whole day, too."

Bakugou grunts. Kirishima hears Kaminari and Ashido saying goodbye, then the scrape of a chair that must be Bakugou sitting down. A minute of silence, but a silence that, for Kirishima, is loaded; just knowing he's not alone in the room changes the atmosphere somehow.

"I guess I should talk, shouldn't I. Can't believe I volunteered to entertain your ass." A pause. "So I got this idea. You're missing a fuckton of school, probably, and you're gonna have a lot of catching up to do. So I figured… why not just get a head start on tutoring you? Since I'm probably going to be the one doing it anyways." A sharp laugh. "Yeah, it's not going to make your little nap any more _fun_ , is it."

He didn't know what to expect when he learned Bakugou had volunteered for at least an hour (and sometimes two) every single day of the entire two weeks, with the exception of just a couple of days. It makes a little more sense now, Kirishima figures. And it's nice of him. Really nice.

It's a little out of character for Bakugou, maybe, but Kirishima knows that what Ashido said before is true – he would do the same for any of his friends in the same situation without hesitation (although he isn't actually sure if Bakugou would appreciate that or not, were the situations reversed).

Bakugou begins explaining some math concept they learned today, and it's hard to really picture it without being able to see anything, so instead Kirishima just focuses on the other boy's voice, slipping in and out of focus. Kirishima's tired, not in a physical way, but in an existential way; he hopes he will be able to sleep that night, dreads the hell that is silence stretching for hours upon hours.

Bakugou went silent. Kirishima strained to hear what was going on, if he was leaving or what, and heard nothing for maybe a minute. "I wonder if what Aizawa said is even true," Bakugou says at last, his voice quiet but not inaudible. "Maybe he's just pulling our leg and you're asleep after all. Wouldn't that be a laugh." Kirishima felt something touch his forehead sharply – Bakugou had poked it or flicked it, probably. "This fucking sucks. You're the laziest hero in the world, you know that? Get your ass out of bed for once. Jesus."

There's no bite in his words, and towards the end his voice takes on a strange tone, one Kirishima hasn't heard before. A pause, the sound of Bakugou unzipping and digging in his backpack, and then it's back to math as if the lecture hadn't been interrupted at all.

The hour passes way, way too quickly. Bakugou turns the radio on. "I should turn this to classical music or something," he says. "Wouldn't that be funny." He doesn't, a fact for which Kirishima is quite grateful – although that would have still been _far_ more bearable than silence.

Bakugou is further away, probably in the doorway, when Kirishima hears him speak for the last time that night: "They better not turn the fucking radio off."

.

They turn the fucking radio off.

.

The next morning, just as Kirishima is beginning to hear the ambient noise of the hospital again, someone enters his room, turns the radio back on, and leaves.

After school, he hears Aoyama, Ashido and Sero attempt to study for about ten minutes, then descend rapidly into gossip and talking about their personal lives. Aoyama, it seems, has a crush on someone, although he's being tight-lipped about who. He won't even say if it's a boy or girl, although Kirishima has his suspicions. "I don't know how to get this person to notice me," he whines.

"I'm pretty sure everyone notices you, sweetie," Ashido says.

"What have you tried so far?" Sero asks.

"Um…"

It's forty-five minutes of Ashido and Sero trying to convince Aoyama to confess to his crush, and Aoyama being pseudo-shy and complaining, but even that's not so bad – Kirishima feels like he knows his classmates a little better now. He'll have something to talk about with Aoyama when he's up again.

"I'm sorry I'm late!" a new voice says – Iida.

"Only by one minute," Ashido says. "Hagakure isn't even here yet."

As if summoned, Kirishima hears her burst into the room. "I've got snacks!"

"I think I can stay for a little while longer," Ashido says.

"Study with us!" Hagakure says. "It'll be like a big study party!"

"Studying and partying do not go together," Iida says, although he doesn't sound particularly convinced.

"It'll be fun!"

They do end up staying a little while longer, maybe half an hour, before taking off. Kirishima finds himself amused at the back and forth of Iida and Hagakure. At first they try to study in earnest, but Hagakure's not nearly as good at focusing as Iida, so not much time passes before she tries to engage him in idle conversation. He rebuffs it again and again until finally he says, "I guess we can take a break."

"Woo!" Hagakure says. "And look at the time. We're halfway there! Thanks, Iida!" There's the crinkling of what might be bags of chips or candy, and silence as Kirishima assumes they're eating. After a few minutes he hears Hagakure speak again, her tone much more restrained: "Were you there when he was hit by that villain's quirk?"

"No," Iida says. "Just Ashido and Kaminari were with him, I believe."

"Do you know much about it?"

"No more than you, unfortunately. I'd suggest talking with Aizawa-sensei or Midoriya if you want to learn more – they might be able to help you."

"Thanks, Iida." Hagakure sighs. "I bet it gets super lonely here at night." A pause. "I've got a great idea!"

"W-what is it?"

"Okay, so, I'll get naked…"

"Excuse me?!"

"…and I'll hide in the room and wait for them to lock up, right, and then I'll hang out with Kirishima until school begins! I'm sure that would be more fun than just lying there all alone!"

"W-while that's very – uh, _thoughtful_ of you, first of all, that's highly against the rules… second of all, with that English test tomorrow –"

"Oh come on, you have to know I was joking, right?" She sighs. "Well, maybe fifty percent joking. Poor Kirishima."

They say nothing until they begin studying again. Kirishima finds himself losing focus, almost as if he's drifting in and out of consciousness. He isn't sure if he's actually dozing or just zoning out, but he's startled into full attention when he hears Hagakure exclaim, "Oh, there's Bakugou!"

They leave soon after, and he's alone with Bakugou again. "I see you didn't take my words to heart," he says. "Still haven't gotten your sorry ass out of bed." There's the squeak of a folding chair, the noises of Bakugou pulling something out of his backpack. "We started this shitty new book in literature class today, and I was gonna read it earlier but I realized, you know, I might as well use my time to do homework." Kirishima's stomach falls, and he prepares for two hours of listening to Bakugou turn pages, when he hears the other boy's voice – unsure at first, a little on edge, growing with confidence as he goes on.

Bakugou is _reading to him_.

If he could, he'd laugh in surprise and delight. Bakugou's voice is a little stiff but wholly pleasant to listen to. It's better by far than the math concepts, because Kirishima can actually follow the story.

The two hours pass far, far too quickly. Bakugou keeps reading until there are footsteps and an unfamiliar woman's voice says, "Excuse me, but visiting hours are over for the day."

"Alright, whatever," Bakugou says, shutting the book with a snap. A beat. "Hey, wait," Bakugou says, getting up, and Kirishima realizes he must be talking to the nurse – running after her into the hallway. Kirishima can't hear their conversation, though he strains to make out the words.

"I've got an hour tomorrow evening, so I guess I'll be back to read some more of this novel," Bakugou says when he returns. "If you haven't woken up by that point or whatever, I guess."

.

That night, the radio stays on.


	2. Chapter 2

Thursday and Friday pass. Kirishima endures.

He gets to see sides of all of his classmates he's never heard before. He hears Jirou strumming an acoustic guitar, learns about Ojiro's phobia of spiders, and gets told all about the embarrassing things that happened to Sato when he was young. He learns who's good at which subject, who likes to work in groups and who prefers working alone.

And every night, Bakugou reads to him. The book isn't bad, but even if it was, Kirishima wouldn't mind. A week ago, he wouldn't have ever used the word "soothing" to describe Bakugou, but somehow, that's exactly what their time together has become for Kirishima. There's usually little preamble before Bakugou launches into it, and besides occasional breaks to take a drink, he usually reads for the entire hour or two he spends with Kirishima.

On Saturday, at what must be precisely 8 in the morning, he hears the sound of Midoriya bounding into the room. "Hi Kirishima!" he says. "I've got a surprise. I'm really excited for it!"

It is what Midoriya calls "Quirk Discussion Day." "Or maybe Quirk Appreciation Day? Quirk Investigation Day? 'Let's Talk About Your Quirk' Day? What sounds best? – Anyway, I've got, like, _twenty people_ coming in to talk to me today about their quirks! I haven't even _met_ all of these people." He pauses, the enthusiasm in his voice waning a bit. "I hope this is all okay. I know you can't tell us what you want, so I just tried to think, 'What would I want my classmates to do for me, if I was in Kirishima's situation?' and came up with this." He laughs. "Not to mention, it's what I want to do anyway, and I'm not even _in_ your situation! So it works our perfectly!"

Kirishima has no idea how Midoriya managed it, but, like he said, most of the people aren't even from their class – some not even from their _grade_. This is Midoriya's area of interest, not exactly Kirishima's, but it still seems like a lot of fun, and again he gets to learn all about his classmates – not just from the point of view of a rival, like Bakugou might think of it, or from a clinical perspective like Midoriya was taking, but from the point of view of a classmate and peer.

They're on the fourth person – each given half-hour slots, Kirishima guesses – and this time it's someone he doesn't know, can't put a face to the name. "Tsukada," Midoriya says, "thank you for coming here today. What is the name of your quirk? Could you tell me a little about it?"

"Mind Bridge," the other boy says. His voice is flat and unexpressive, as if he's given this explanation a hundred times. "Everyone's mind is sealed up, right? I can open that seal, to see what's happening in someone else's mind."

There's a pause. "Uh, so," Midoriya says slowly, "does that mean you can try that with Kirishima?"

"I guess, maybe," Tsukada says, hesitation clear in his voice. "But it's not like a mind reading quirk. It's like… I'll be able to know all of his thoughts, but he'll be able to know mine too. It's not… I dunno. I can try it."

"Thank you," Midoriya says, and Kirishima hears the smile in his voice. "It's worth a shot, right? Just to see if… well, it's worth a shot!"

"Sure." Kirishima hears the boy approach, and then after a moment, the quirk kicks in.

Tsukada was right – it's not like mind reading; it's as if their two minds were mixed together so thoroughly that Kirishima can no longer tell with any surety which thoughts are his and which aren't. It's a flood of emotions and thoughts that, in the moment, seem so familiar as to be his own, but which _can't_ be. He's lying immobile on the bed but he's also standing next to it, looking down _at himself_ and thinking about how dead he looks. He's hopeful this will work and simultaneously headachy from lack of sleep and annoyed with Midoriya – he was doing this out of obligation to begin with and now of course someone asks him to use his quirk, what a pain in the ass –

When Kirishima realizes that this is his first real meaningful contact with another person in days he wills himself to focus, to try to get something across to Tsukada. _I'm here_! he tries to convey. He would be shouting if he could. _I can hear you, all of you! I'm listening!_ Then, as abruptly as it began, the link between their minds is severed and Kirishima is alone with his thoughts again, waiting to hear how Tsukada would react. The annoyance was gone; that was all Tsukada's. The hope was his, and it lingers.

He hears the other boy suck in his breath. "Well, uh, he's definitely awake," Tsukada says. "I've done this with people when they're sleeping before, and it is very different. And I think… I think he's grateful to you. To you and everyone."

Kirishima could sigh in relief. This much direct contact with another person is just a drop of water in his parched mouth but it's _something_. Distantly he hears Midoriya's voice, a little shaky: "Thank you."

"I'm not doing that again, so don't ask me," Tsukada adds, an edge in his voice. "I do _not_ like that feeling. He's definitely, like, locked in, and when I do that, I feel it too." There's a long pause. "Are we going to get on with the interview or not?"

As soon as Tsukada is gone, Midoriya runs to Kirishima's bedside. "I'm going to text everyone and tell them," he says. "I'm so glad you're awake – I mean, I'm not glad you're awake and you can't move, but like, there was this small part of me that was like… what if he's brain dead and he'll never wake up?" He laughs nervously, the sound shrill in Kirishima's ear. "So I hope you don't mind if I let everyone know, in case they were thinking the same thing."

Midoriya's quirk interviews last until the evening. Uraraka and Iida cover for him during lunch, and Ashido and Kaminari during dinner, but other than that he's there the entire day. _I have to do something for these guys_ , Kirishima thinks, not for the first time. _Especially Midoriya_. But on the other hand, he isn't sure there's anything he could even do that would make it even, except for paying it forward if Midoriya should ever get in a similar situation.

"One more interview left!" Midoriya chirps. The cheeriness and energy he had earlier in the day somehow still hasn't left his voice. "It's… haha, well, it's Bakugou. I bet he didn't see my name when he wrote his down."

"I _crossed out_ your name, dipshit," Bakugou says, a little distantly, like he was outside the door.

"Oh hi, Kacchan!"

Bakugou swore. "I don't want your stupid interview. That's why I crossed out your name. So could you leave already?"

Midoriya laughed. "Well, sure. Thanks for taking over for me!"

"Hey, wait." A pause. "That text you sent out earlier."

"Yeah?"

"What's it supposed to mean?"

"Oh, umm… Do you know Tsukada? He's a second-year."

"Never heard of him."

"Me neither, until I met him today! He's got a really interesting quirk that lets him see into someone's mind – although it lets them see into his mind too, so he doesn't like to use it very much! He says it's an invasion of privacy for everyone involved. But I asked him to use it on Kirishima today."

Bakugou's being much quieter than he normally is during one of Midoriya's rambling moments, not interrupting at all. "He said that Kirishima's awake!" Midoriya goes on. "He said it's totally different if someone's unconscious and he can tell Kirishima's aware of his surroundings. He also said… he said Kirishima is grateful to us."

"Grateful?"

"That's pretty much all he said. Oh, and he said he doesn't want to do it again because he feels what Kirishima feels, and it's not good. He said he's locked in. Anyways," he adds, as Kirishima hears the sound of him gathering his things, "I'll head out. Kirishima, I hope you enjoyed today. I don't have any more shifts until Monday afternoon, so I'll see you then! Bye, Kacchan!"

It's silent in the room as Midoriya's footsteps fade away. After a moment, Kirishima hears Bakugou draw a ragged breath. "Christ," he says, a strange note in his voice – anger, maybe. "Here we're all feeling sorry for ourselves and shit that you're in the hospital sleeping and… you aren't even sleeping, are you. Ha, I was kind of still hoping Sensei was wrong and you were."

Kirishima's never known Bakugou to feel bad for anyone, but there's pity in those words and a real sense of what's almost _grief_ in his tone. "Locked in," Bakugou says, echoing Midoriya's words. "Jesus Christ."

Bakugou gets the book out and begins to read, although his tone the entire time still has that raw edge to it – as if he's seconds away from shouting or crying. Before he leaves for the night, he approaches Kirishima's bedside, close enough that Kirishima can hear his breathing, and touches him on the shoulder. From Ashido or Kaminari the touch would be casual, but from Bakugou, whose touch he hardly feels except when they spar, it seems to hold a second meaning. Or perhaps Kirishima wants to project meaning into it – wants it to carry the weight of words Bakugou can't say aloud. "Hang in there," maybe. "Stay strong." "I miss you."

.

That night, Kirishima wakes up.

It's between one and two in the morning, according to the DJs on the radio. He's the same as he's been for the last week until the moment he feels his body convulse and take a huge deep breath, so deep he has to fight to keep from coughing. That's when he realizes he can fight to keep from coughing, he can breathe or stop breathing – he has control of his body again.

He opens his eyes.

The room is dark except for the glow from a digital clock and from a monitor displaying his vitals. 1:46, the clock reads. His eyes are so used to blackness that it's enough to see the rest of the room by, though, and he looks around curiously. On a table next to his head is the radio, and beside it, the sign reading "Please keep radio on at all times!" There are balloons tied to his bed, and several chairs pushed to one side, piled with spare blankets and cushions.

He sucks in a breath again – almost has to remind himself to keep breathing – and licks his lips. They're cracked and dry. He feels the insistent prickling of a headache coming on. His tongue feels swollen and fuzzy.

A few minutes pass and he's still agonizing over whether he should hit the Call Nurse button or not when the decision is made for him; someone enters and flips the lights on, blinding him.

"You _are_ awake!" the nurse says. Then: "He's awake!" She's on the phone, Kirishima realizes. "How long have you been up, sweetheart?" she says, walking over to him.

"Not long," he says. The words barely come up, and sound like a croak. "Just a couple of minutes."

"He says just a couple of minutes." After a moment, she holds the phone away from her ear and looks down at Kirishima. "Do you want to talk to him? It's… a pro hero, I think?"

More out of tired instinct than actual desire, Kirshima takes the receiver from the nurse. On the other end is Aizawa. "We caught the villain," he says, his voice still flat but ringing with a pride Kirishima's never heard from him during school hours. "I was calling to see whether you were woken up when I erased his quirk."

"I guess so," Kirishima says, yawning. "Although I never really slept."

"I'll be swinging by tomorrow morning to fill you in on more details," Aizawa says. "You can take it easy for now. Kirishima…"

"Yeah?"

"It's good to have you back." And as if the uncharacteristic sentimentality is too much for him, Aizawa abruptly hangs up the phone.

Kirishima trades it to the nurse for a glass of water. "Do you need anything else? Otherwise I can let you sleep," she says. "I bet it's been a hard week."

"I think… I think I'm okay."

She turns the lights off when she left. Kirishima turns off the radio, shuts his eyes, and goes to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Kirishima wakes up to light pouring through the window, opens his eyes, and sees the sun for the first time in a week. The realization that it's all over is finally beginning to hit him, although it hasn't totally sunken in yet. He feels a tentative, cautious happiness, as if the villain's quirk might kick in again and take away everything just as quickly as before.

They have a few more tests to run on him in the morning, just to make sure everything's actually alright now, physically _and_ mentally. His steps are shaky, and he's lost a lot of weight – probably all muscle, he thinks sadly – but he can walk unassisted and he's keeping food down. His voice is just about back to what it was before, though still a little weak, but as they ask him questions it somehow sounds strange to hear his words said aloud, like the voice is someone else's altogether.

The doctor tells him that everything looks fine, but to take it easy in school, particularly in physical things, and to come back in a week for a checkup. He's free to go.

Suddenly a realization hits him. "It's Sunday, right? Are my friends here? Did you turn them away?"

"Visiting hours don't start until 10 on Sundays," the doctor says.

Kirishima looks at the clock: 9:27. "Oh, that's fine then," he says, sighing and gathering his things.

He changes from the hospital gown into the clothing he'd been wearing over a week ago. It's been washed, he realizes. One more thing to thank his classmates for.

His wallet's there, along with everything that was in it. The only other thing is his cell phone. He tries to boot it up to try and let the others know not to come, but it's dead.

 _Oh well. They'll find out soon enough._

He takes one last look at the hospital room, and leaves.

The hospital is a short walk from the school; in fact, he's jogged by it before and never really given it a second thought. As odd as it seemed for a pro hero in training, he just figured he wouldn't really need to go to the hospital. Like everyone else, he'd assumed Recovery Girl would always be enough.

He hurries to his dorm, gets there a little before 10, plugs in his phone and sees over a hundred unread texts. It almost makes him want to turn the phone right back off.

Kirishima can more or less guess what the texts say, and just leaves them for now. Instead he starts a new message, addressing it to everyone in his class whose number he has. This is probably _the_ most obnoxious method possible, and he feels bad in advance for everyone who will be caught in the crossfire. But hey, it works.

 _Hey everyone! I'm up now and out of the hospital. Right now I'm planning to catch up on sleep, so I might not respond for a little bit. I'll talk to you all soon!_

He mutes his phone immediately after sending the message, tosses it down like it's a bomb waiting to go off, and goes to take a shower.

His body is different. It's thinner, of course, but more sensitive, too. He runs his hands over himself, savoring the foreign feeling of touch. The heat of the shower on his skin feels amazing, and Kirishima only turns it off when the hot water runs out.

He's toweling off when he hears a knock at the door. Kirishima wonders which of his friends decided to ignore his request for solitude. He's half inclined to pretend he doesn't hear the knocks, but knows he can only put seeing everyone off for so long – and then he wonders why he wants to put it off at all.

He takes his time getting dressed, but the knocking's still going on, so he opens the door at last; it's Ashido. "Kirishima!" she cries, launching herself at him and nearly knocking them both off their feet.

"Hey," Kirishima says, after they've separated. "It's just you, right?"

"Yeah, I'm alone," she says, looking him up and down. "Hey, are you okay?"

He shuts the door behind her. "As good as I can be, I guess," he says, shrugging. "I'm still a little overwhelmed. And I did just get back from the hospital."

Ashido nods. "I don't blame you for feeling overwhelmed." Her voice drops lower, barely above a whisper, and she leans towards Kirishima. "Hey, is what Midoriya told us true? Were you really awake the entire time?"

"Yeah," he says. "Yeah, I mean, that mind reader guy, he really did read my mind. And even at night, I couldn't sleep, I was awake then too. So I really appreciate the radio, and all the things you guys did to keep me from, you know. Going insane."

He laughs, although it isn't really funny. This isn't the way he planned to say thank you, especially not to Ashido, who he's more grateful to than almost anyone else. She's looking at him intently; he wishes he could tell what she was thinking.

"It was hard, wasn't it," she says at last.

 _No shit_ , he tries to say, but nothing comes out. He's crying, his throat closing around his words, and Ashido presses his face into her shoulder and holds him as he sobs. How can she read him so well? How can she look at him and just tell that something's off?

When finally he pulls away from the embrace, he somehow feels better, lighter. He doesn't feel _good_ , exactly, but the tears, the frustration and anger and helplessness, have all been building up in him for a week. To at least acknowledge them is a start.

"I really did intend to sleep, you know," he says, sniffing. "Why did you assume I wouldn't?"

She laughs. "I didn't know if you actually would sleep or not, but you probably _shouldn't_! If you sleep all day today, it'll be hard to get up for school tomorrow." She wrinkles her nose. "Ugh, sorry, I sound like Iida."

Kirishima groans. "I forgot all about school tomorrow. God, I have so much to catch up on."

"I'm sure the teachers will all understand," she says, patting his arm. "Take it a day at a time. And you can always ask for help if you need it."

"I've already gotten so much help from you guys," he says, sniffling. He's done crying, but still feels a little fragile somehow, as if he might start again at any time. "I don't know how I can even make it all up to you."

"Then what's a little more?" she says. "Seriously, Kirishima, I promise you no one will mind. We're not doing this because we're selfless, we're doing this because we all fucking love you."

"Thanks," he says, and she flashes him a grin.

.

He knows he'll have to see them all eventually, so he decides to just bite the bullet and go to lunch, hoping food helps him endure the onslaught of questions.

Kirishima feels like it's not only his muscles that got weaker, but his social skills too; he knows like the smile he gives everyone is wooden and forced and all of his friends can probably tell. They don't call him out on it, at least. Ashido sits next to him, her shoulder pressed against his.

Kaminari sits on his other side, Sero and Midoriya and Hagakure across the table from him. He sees Bakugou enter and shoot him a look he can't decipher – annoyance at how many people are already sitting around him, maybe – before finding a seat at a different table nearby.

"I don't envy you, dude," Kaminari says, patting him on the back. "It's gonna be a bitch to make up a week of school."

"You can copy my notes!" Hagakure says.

"At least the teachers will probably go easy on you. Except for Aizawa, anyways," Ashido says.

"Kirishima," Midoriya says, "what was it like to be under that quirk?"

Dead silence. Everyone looks at Midoriya, surprised.

"Isn't that kind of a personal question?" Ashido says, narrowing her eyes.

"It's okay!" Kirishima says quickly. "I don't mind. It's not like it's a secret, right?" He laughs in a way he hopes sounds natural, runs a hand through his hair. Midoriya has turned bright pink, presumably aware he's changed the mood of the conversation. "I mean, you basically know what it was like, right? Or you can imagine? Like, I could hear and feel and stuff, but I couldn't move. And, before I forget, I want to say thank you," he adds quickly. "Thank you all so much. I appreciate it a lot. I can't even express…"

"Oh, shush," Ashido says, elbowing him. "We know."

Someone changes the subject, the conversation moves briskly on, and Kirishima finds himself staring at his plate. He could have sworn he'd felt hungry a few minutes ago, but his appetite seems to have disappeared entirely. "Hey, you can have my lunch," he says to Kaminari. "I'm going to get a head start on the homework."

"Thanks, dude," Kaminari says. "Guess I'll see you later!"

Kirishima hurries out of the cafeteria, not daring to look behind him. He knows he'd see everyone staring at him, whispering as soon as he was out of earshot. He doesn't want to make them worry about how he's doing, but for some reason he can't bear to stay in the lunchroom any longer than he has to.

"What the fuck?" he says, as soon as he's in his room with the door closed. The people he's running away from are his _friends_. It doesn't make any sense.

He sits on his bed and glances down at his phone; he has about sixty _more_ new messages since earlier that morning, mostly from the group chat.

A few minutes later, as he's still staring blankly at his phone as if paralyzed by it, there's a knock at his door. "Come in," he calls, assuming it's Ashido, armed with her handy sixth sense of knowing when he's not okay.

It's not. It's Bakugou. He's scowling and carries a backpack, which he throws on the floor with a thump. "What the hell," he says, sneering. "You said hi to everyone else in the fucking world except me?"

"I'm sorry," Kirishima says, his tone subdued.

Bakugou stares at him as if he'd just spoken in tongues. After a moment he steps inside the room and sits down on Kirishima's bed as if it's his own. Kirishima stands up to make room. "You said at lunch that you were going to do your homework," Bakugou says.

"Yeah."

"You don't know what the homework _is_ , fuckhead," Bakugou says. "And you should copy my notes, not Hagakure's. She talks half the class period anyways, I bet her notes are shit." He starts pulling things out of his backpack and setting them on the bed next to him. "Here's your copy of that shitty novel we're reading. Here are my math notes, here are my English notes." He looks down, still scowling, and pauses. "I can't believe Deku asked you that question. He's such an _asshole_."

The change in subject takes Kirishima by surprise, and it takes him a few seconds to respond. "It's okay," he says at last. "I know it's interesting to him, and it makes sense that he'd be curious."

"Yeah, but it's like, he can't even wait – he's got to hear all about it the first time he sees you," Bakugou says. "Like, jeez, he's got _no_ tact."

"You of all people getting mad at someone for being tactless?" Kirishima says, laughing a little despite himself.

Bakugou hesitates a moment, then grins. "Yeah, yeah, I know," he says. "But seriously!"

"Thanks, by the way," Kirishima says, taking the things Bakugou brought off the bed. He sits down on the floor and sets them within reach. "Now, where to start…"

Bakugou says nothing. He's doing something on his phone. Kirishima sighs and turns back to the pile, deciding to copy math notes first. It's his worst subject, and he might as well do it while Bakugou's still here and (apparently) willing to help him.

It's less than an hour later that Kirishima has a realization. "I'm so fucking hungry," he moans. "I can't focus at all. I need to eat something."

"You're such an idiot," Bakugou says. "You should have eaten when you were in the fucking lunchroom." He's getting to his feet though, stretching his arms over his head. "I might as well go with you, though. I could use a break."

They head to the cafeteria together. It's much quieter now, since it's the off time between lunch and dinner. Only a handful of other students are eating, and, blessedly, Kirishima doesn't see anyone else from his class.

They're both quiet as Kirishima eats. Bakugou is still preoccupied with his phone, and Kirishima finds himself staring off into the distance, not thinking of much in particular. He hasn't had much to eat since waking up, but he finds himself savoring his food. It doesn't matter that it's a mediocre sandwich from the school cafeteria – he missed eating, and didn't realize how sick of _not_ eating he'd been.

"I feel better," he says as soon as he's done. "It's crazy how being hungry can put you in such a bad mood."

Bakugou says nothing, just lifts one eyebrow.

"I should probably get back to doing homework," Kirishima says with a sigh. "Damn, this is going to be a hard week."

Bakugou follows Kirishima back to his room and sits on his bed again as Kirishima does his homework. It's nice having someone there, he thinks. He's still an extrovert, after all, and Bakugou is quieter than normal, wrapped up in whatever he's doing, asking no questions and putting no pressure on Kirishima.

They hang out together until dinner – they grab food just before the cafeteria closes for the night, when there's barely anyone else there – and then Bakugou heads back to his own room. He doesn't even say goodbye or goodnight, but that's just his style, and Kirishima can hardly expect any different.

Kirishima's out like a light not long after dinner. He sleeps like he's got a week's worth of it to catch up on, and hits snooze on his alarm so many times that he's almost late; he falls quickly back into the old familiar pattern of getting ready for class, though, and it's somehow comforting. Scarf down breakfast, get dressed, style hair, brush teeth, pack up – as frantic as his routine might be that day, this is something familiar, something he's done so many times that it will _never_ leave him.

Aizawa doesn't even give him a second glance, and Kirishima supposes that word got around to the classmates he wasn't able to text directly, because no one's surprised to see him and he gets asked no prying questions during class. School sucks, of course, but not any more than normal, and he can even join in the discussion in Lit class (much to the surprise of everyone except Bakugou).

He grabs dinner with Kaminari and Ashido, works on homework again with Bakugou, and settles in for bed at a normal-ish time, feeling pretty satisfied, overall, with how the day went.

He can't sleep.

Maybe it had something to do with sleeping for roughly eleven hours the day before. Or maybe it's because he realizes lying on his back reminds him of being paralyzed, of the feel of the hospital, and he's got to keep moving every now and then to remind himself that he actually isn't still hit by the quirk.

It sucks. He's antsy and frustrated and wishes the gym were open at midnight. Sighing, he figures enough's enough and gets up – he's gotta do something, even if that just means pace the hallways or climb up and down the stairs.

As he passes Bakugou's room, he notices the light is still on. He stops outside of the door, wondering whether it's worth it to bother the other boy, when the door swings open and Bakugou's there, staring at him with a hand on his hip.

Kirishima jumps back, startled. "Haha, hey dude!" he says, hoping his voice sounds casual and not sketchy. "What's up?"

"You aren't sneaky, idiot. The whole building can probably hear you stomping around. Why are you standing outside my door, anyway?"

Kirishima laughs again; he can't really think of how to phrase a response. After a moment, Bakugou sighs and pulls the door open wider. "Come in, I guess. Don't need you waking everyone on the floor up."

"I just couldn't sleep," Kirishima says at last, once he's inside the room. Bakugou takes his usual place sprawled out on the bed, and Kirishima settles down on the floor, the same position they took the day before while studying. Bakugou grunts, and Kirishima takes it as an invitation to keep talking. "Last night I was super tired and fell asleep really quickly, and I guess I slept too much. I realized I don't want to sleep on my back because it reminds me of being under the quirk, you know, and that really sucks because I normally sleep on my back and I don't know what to do. I can't stop thinking about it." He looks up at Bakugou.

Now, if he'd given it much thought, or if he was less tired and more coherent, he probably wouldn't have started venting to Bakugou. He'd never had any kind of emotional conversation with Bakugou before, because he knew Bakugou wasn't good enough at handling his _own_ emotions to even stand a chance at handling another person's. Ashido, Kaminari, Hagakure, Sero – they would all be better people to vent to. But the door had been opened for him, and in that moment it had felt like a sanctuary. So here he was.

Bakugou isn't looking back at him, but rather at his own hands, which lie in his lap. "Yo, I'm really sorry for throwing all this on you, dude," Kirishima says quickly. "Like, I should probably go out there and just run up and down the stairs or something, I don't mean to bug you in the middle of the night."

Bakugou looks at him.

He's never seen that look on Bakugou's face before: eyes narrowed, lips pressed together – an expression of concentration, Kirishima thinks, or of confusion. It isn't anger, though, which is good enough for him to remain where he is and wait.

Bakugou looks away again, cracks his knuckles. Glances up at the ceiling, then down at the bed.

"You don't have to go," he says at last.

There's more there, Kirishima can tell. So he waits.

"I can't believe Deku asked that question," he says.

That takes Kirishima by surprise. "What?"

"If I had been Aizawa, I would have killed that villain, instead of capturing him."

Kirishima's brain is too tired to make sense of how these sentences fit together. "It's fine now," Kirishima says, forcing himself to smile. "Obviously Erasure worked, right? So it's fine now. I'm fine."

Evidently that's the wrong thing to say, because Bakugou remains silent. Kirishima tries again. "I'm glad you helped me with Lit. It'll make catching up a lot easier because I'm such a slow reader."

He's careful to phrase it that way – "helped with Lit," not "read the book to me" – and this must be a better thing to say because Bakugou grins, actually grins, and says, "Yeah, I really helped you, didn't I? It would probably take you twice as long to catch up otherwise."

"I wouldn't catch up," Kirishima says. "I'd just look the plot summary up online."

Bakugou laughs. Kirishima leans against the bed, his head only a few inches from Bakugou's leg but not touching. "I should probably try to sleep again," he says. It takes a lot of effort to get up, which probably means he's tired – a good sign. "Thanks though."

Bakugou mutters something that might've been "It's no big deal," but Kirishima isn't sure. That's as much as a goodnight as he's going to get.

He's practically humming as he heads back to his room, although he isn't even sure why.

Being around Bakugou can turn a bad night into an okay one.


	4. Chapter 4

1\. "You don't have to go."

2\. "I can't believe Deku asked that question."

3\. "If I had been Aizawa, I would have killed that villain, instead of capturing him."

Kirishima runs those three sentences through his head during classes the next day. He's no good at puzzles or figuring things out, but he knows there's a connection between them.

"You don't have to go" – this is easy enough, right? Kirishima had offered to leave, and Bakugou was telling him it was fine to stay, even if staying meant talking about emotions. Well, that was nice of him. Kirishima thinks he more or less understands this one.

"I can't believe Deku asked that question" – a little weirder. For one thing, why had Bakugou still been thinking about Midoriya's comment from more than an entire day ago? Kirishima knew there was a lot of history between them, and very little love from Bakugou's side, but the comment had come out of seemingly nowhere. Kirishima had honestly forgotten Midoriya had even asked the question about how it had felt to be under the villain's quirk.

"If I had been Aizawa, I would have killed that villain, instead of capturing him." Alright, so Kirishima is sure, now that he thinks about it, that this all related. It's about the villain. Bakugou's got a heck of a lot of anger towards someone who hadn't even attacked him personally.

Kirishima thinks of the way Bakugou had come to him on Saturday (was it really only Saturday?) after the mind reader had been there, the strange note in his voice as he'd spoken. He'd said something about wishing Aizawa had been wrong about Kirishima being conscious, right?

So maybe Bakugou is expressing pity, the strange-seeming pity of someone who's never pitied before. Maybe it's fear, expressed in such a roundabout way because Bakugou's shit with emotions and never would be able to say "That's scary".

Or maybe it's anger, anger on Kirishima's behalf. Kirishima himself hasn't felt that much anger during this whole event, honestly. He's been too busy feeling many other things, and it's just gotten lost in the shuffle. Maybe if he remembered being attacked he'd feel it, but he doesn't even have a face to assign the emotion to.

The week off has not been good for his muscle composition. Visually he doesn't look all that different, but he definitely feels it when he's working out and especially when he's lifting weights. He keeps the doctor's advice about not overexerting himself firmly in mind, but it's hard. All he wants is to be at the level he was before, but the distance he slid back will take much longer than a week to gain.

Sunday's his follow-up appointment. He never realized how much he disliked the smell of the hospital until he walks in and it hits him like a slap in the face. Breathing in the stale, cleaning-product-scented air takes him straight back to a week ago just as firmly as trying to sleep on his back had those first few nights.

The doctor's running forty-five minutes behind schedule, but the actual appointment itself only takes about ten. A nurse takes his vitals, then the doctor comes in and asks him a few questions.

"It looks like you're doing fine," the doctor says. "Everything looks good. I don't think you need to come back any more."

 _Thank God_ , Kirishima thinks, not particularly eager to go back to the hospital again. He savors the smell of the fresh air as he walks back to campus, taking his time and enjoying the feeling of the sun on his face.

Just as he's opening his door, he hears Bakugou's door open too and sees him stick his head out. "Oh, hey," Kirishima says, shooting him a smile.

Bakugou is scowling. "Where were you?"

"I had a follow-up appointment, but the doctor says I'm all good," Kirishima says. "Why? What's up?"

There's a pause. Bakugou steps out into the hall, but looks down and away. "I texted you, but you never responded."

"Oh, sorry," Kirishima says. "I guess I had it on silent. Did you need something?"

"Just wondering if you wanted to work on homework or whatever," Bakugou says. Kirishima might be wrong – probably is – but it almost seems like Bakugou's embarrassed. _That doesn't make any sense_ , Kirishima tells himself, knowing he must be missing something.

"Sure," he says at last. "My room or yours?"

"Mine," Bakugou says, "I was already working on it there."

"I'll be right over!"

After they've been working a little while, Kirishima sneaks a look at his phone.

 **Bakugou, 1:02 pm:** do you want to work on homework

 **Bakugou, 1:15 pm:** are you at the gym

 **Bakugou, 1:24 pm:** where are you?

 **Bakugou, 1:48 pm:** where the fuck are you

Kirishima laughs and tucks his phone away. It isn't really a surprise that Bakugou hates being ignored. "I'll try and remember to keep my phone turned up," he says. "I wasn't blowing you off or anything, I swear."

Bakugou says nothing.

In Aizawa's class the next day, they get quizzes passed back. Kirishima finds a note paperclipped to his: "Please find me after class. I need to speak to you." It's puzzling – his score wasn't _that_ bad; he at least passed, and he's certainly done worse without getting pulled aside – but he does as the note says. He's surprised to see Ashido and Kaminari also staying behind.

"Can someone shut the door?" Aizawa says, as soon as the rest of the class is gone. Kirishima does and comes back, standing close to Ashido. Kaminari is on her other side.

"I've just gotten word that they want you three to all testify at that villain's trial," Aizawa says. He speaks slowly, in his usual tone, but he meets each of their gazes directly, one after the other. "This shouldn't exactly be unexpected, considering you were the only witnesses to the attack. The date of the trial has been set to Monday, a week from today. I'm sorry you didn't get more notice."

Oh. Oh right. To be honest, Kirishima had completely put the part about what happens _after_ you apprehend the villain out of his head. "What good will having me as a witness do?" he asks. "I don't remember anything."

They all turn to look at him. "What do you mean?" Aizawa asks slowly.

"Like, I remember being in the hospital, of course," he says. "But I can't remember anything between planning on going shopping and waking up in bed. If you guys hadn't told me it was a quirk I would have had no idea."

"Oh," Aizawa said. He blinks. "This is… good to know." He clears his throat. "I'll pass that information on to the prosecutor. I still believe they'll have you testify, though."

"Okay." He feels Ashido wrap her arm around his.

"As I was saying, you'll have to testify on Monday. I've already spoken to your other teachers and they'll all excuse your absence, of course. We can discuss transportation on Friday, but probably I'll be driving you."

"You'll be driving us?" Kirishima echoes.

"That's right."

"We can probably take the bus or something," he says. "Wouldn't you miss class if you drove us?"

Aizawa's giving him an odd look. "I'll miss class regardless. I'm testifying too."

Right. _That also makes sense_ , Kirishima thinks. After all, who had caught the villain?

"That's all I need to tell you. You're free to go," Aizawa says.

"Will it be only one day?" Ashido asks.

"I don't know," Aizawa says. "Probably." After a moment he adds, "Hopefully."

The three students walk back together in silence. Ashido and Kaminari follow Kirishima to his room, throwing their backpacks on the ground with a thump. "God, this sucks," Kirishima says. "You know, it's stupid, but I never really thought about what happens after the villain's caught. Like, I guess it makes sense that there's a trial, I just… never really considered it."

He sits down on the floor, noticing the other two still looking at him. "Do you really not remember anything?" Kaminari says at last. "Like, about the attack?"'

"I honestly don't." He sighs. "I wish I could be more helpful."

Kaminari and Ashido sit on the floor next to him. "It's not like you were the only person there," Ashido says after a pause. "Like, we're still witnesses."

"True."

Kaminari says nothing. Out of the corner of his eye, Kirishima sees a slight motion – Ashido reaching out to touch Kaminari's arm. Kirishima takes out his homework and starts working on it.

Not long after, there's a knock on his door. The three of them look up at the same time. "Come in!" Kirishima calls out.

It's Bakugou. Kirishima sees his half-smirk disappear into a look of surprise. "Am I interrupting your little study session?" he asks. "Did Aizawa ask you all to stay after class because you failed so badly?"

"No," Ashido says, maybe a little defensively. "He was telling us about how we have to testify in court. Against that villain, you know."

"…Oh."

"At least we get to miss school," Kaminari says.

"You can come in, Bakugou," Kirishima says. "We're just working on homework."

Ashido shoots him a pointed look, like she wants to say something but is holding her tongue. As soon as he's said it, Kirishima realizes the invitation might not be the best idea, if only because of the size of the dorm and how much space Bakugou generally takes up in any given room.

He's shaking his head, though, and steps back out into the hall. "Nah. Got stuff to do. See you guys around. Have fun with your little study group."

As soon as he's gone, Ashido laughs. "Look at him, trying to act all cool and stuff. 'Have fun with your little study group.'" Kaminari giggles at her Bakugou impression.

The three of them get dinner together, then go their separate ways afterwards. As soon as he gets back to the dorm, Kirishima knocks on Bakugou's door.

"Yeah?" Bakugou says, glancing behind Kirishima to see if anyone else is there.

"Did you need something earlier?"

"Oh, no," Bakugou says, "just thought maybe you needed help with your homework. But I guess you had all the help you needed with your study pals."

Kirishima laughs. "Ashido and Kaminari? I dunno how much help they'd be, I think their grades are as bad as mine or worse."

There's a pause, then Bakugou seems to realize they're both still standing at the door. "D'you wanna come in?" he says, moving aside.

Kirishima's done with his homework, but just being near Bakugou's a nice feeling, and it's certainly better than being alone. "Sure!"

He's tempted to pull a Bakugou and steal the bed, but knows if he tried he'd get his ass kicked, so Kirishima sits on the floor his back against the bed instead. He still has about a hundred unread messages on his phone. At this point he's not sure if he'll ever actually read them; something about the sheer number seems insurmountable.

"So what day's your trial?" Bakugou asks. His voice is low, almost inaudible.

"Monday. A week from today."

Bakugou's quiet for a long time; he's staring at his hands, which lay curled in his lap. "Do you think they'd let me go and watch?"

"Uhh, I don't think that's a good idea," Kirishima says.

"Why? I'm just curious. Never seen a trial before. Might be interesting."

"The other day you literally said you'd kill the guy," Kirishima says, laughing. "Do you think it's a good idea for you to go there, where you'd actually get the chance?"

Bakugou's cheeks turn red. "Tch," he scoffs, "I wouldn't _actually_ …" He shakes his head. "Whatever. Have fun, I guess."

"I doubt I will," Kirishima says, and Bakugou looks like he's regretting the words.

Kirishima expected that people would act differently while he was under the villain's quirk; most went back to normal shortly after the time ended. Bakugou, though, has been acting strangely towards him, and Kirishima's not sure why.

They hang out every day, although it's less "hang out" than just do homework or use their phones in each other's presence. If he doesn't get his meals with anyone else, Bakugou will be there, right behind him in line. And the few times he's left campus – once to run to a convenience story with Kaminari, another time to pick up some school supplies – Bakugou will text him: _where are you?_

It's almost like Bakugou's _clingy_. And Kirishima doesn't mind – at all, honestly – but it's more than a little odd. Bakugou's got to be the most independent person in their class, so to have him keeping tabs on Kirishima is baffling. And flattering, too. Kirishima wants to find out what he's doing right (or wrong?) so he can replicate this, because, to be honest, he likes the attention Bakugou gives him, and the time they spend together.

Friday afternoon rolls around. They're hanging in Kirishima's room after the end of classes when he says, "I need new shirts."

Bakugou merely grunts, which in Bakugou's language means to continue, so Kirishima does. "All my shirts are either too small or the dryer's shredded holes in them. So in a bit I'm going to go shopping, maybe grab some food off campus." He doesn't exactly invite Bakugou, just waits to see what the other boy says in response.

"Is the pink chick going with you? Or that stupid electric dude?"

"No, Ashido and Kaminari are doing their own thing," Kirishima says. He doesn't mention it, but he thinks they might be dating. Or maybe not – she might be chatty, but Ashido can be pretty hard to read. "I was just going to go alone. Sometimes it's fun to shop alone! I don't have to worry about holding anyone up if I go slowly."

Bakugou frowns, glances at Kirishima, then his phone, the floor, and back to Kirishima. "Can I go with you," he mutters, more statement than question. It's so fast that Kirishima doesn't understand the words for a second or two.

"Oh! Sure," he says, grinning. "If you don't mind me taking forever to pick out shirts, that is."

"It's whatever," Bakugou says, and he doesn't seem exactly thrilled about it, but it's not like Kirishima's dragging him along, right? He basically invited himself; he's got no right to complain.

Bakugou doesn't care about fashion, and Kirishima doesn't really either, but he _does_ like shopping, likes to try on different styles, thinking of possible outfits and taking his time. So that's exactly what he does when they get to the mall, and Bakugou walks after him, arms crossed, looking like he's hating every minute of it. Usually he's looking around the store or down at his phone, but sometimes when Kirishima glances his way their eyes meet. Bakugou always looks away first.

"Where do you want to eat?" Kirishima asks him, after they've been shopping for an hour or two.

"Doesn't matter."

"You really don't care?"

Bakugou shrugs.

Kirishima decides on the mall's food court, just for convenience. He tries not to stare at Bakugou as they eat, although it's tough. Why in the world did Bakugou ask to go with him, if he was only going to look bitter and miserable the entire time? Bakugou hadn't looked at clothes at all, nor shoes when they'd gone in a shoe store. So if he didn't want to come with for the shopping, it meant he was there to _be with Kirishima_.

But that also doesn't make sense, because it's not as if they were even interacting. Bakugou was literally just following him around, watching him. They'd barely exchanged words the entire time.

"So," Kirishima asks, after he's finished his dinner. "What's the real reason you came with?"

Bakugou, surprised, chokes on his rice. When he's finished coughing, he looks up at Kirishima, a little red-faced. "What do you mean?"

"Well, is there anywhere you want to go?" Kirishima asks. "Do you need anything?"

"No."

"There's a video game store…"

"Nah."

"So why are you here?" Kirishima says.

Bakugou looks up at him, wordless, as if he doesn't understand human speech.

"You asked to go with me to the mall, then looked grumpy the whole time, like I'm forcing you, except I'm _not_ forcing you," Kirishima says. "You asked to go with!" He's torn between being amused and annoyed, although the former's winning out for now. There's something sort of endearing about Bakugou's put-off face. "So what's up? Why did you want to come?"

Bakugou shrugs. "You want me to leave? I can leave. You wanna shop for your shitty shirts in peace?"

Kirishima laughs. "Dude, it's not a matter of wanting you to leave. I'm glad you're here, I honestly am, but… it doesn't look like _you_ are."

"What do you know," Bakugou says.

"I don't know! That's why I'm asking you." Kirishima knows at this point that it's hopeless; forcing words from Bakugou when he doesn't want to talk is like banging your head against a wall. "So what do you want to do? Do you want to go home?"

"Doesn't fucking matter," Bakugou says.

"You don't mind if I keep shopping?"

He shakes his head. "Whatever."

Okay. Well then. _If he doesn't mind..._

More out of a desire to see how far he can push Bakugou than any actual love of shopping, Kirishima returns to the mall's clothing stores. He picks out a semi-formal outfit he hopes is court-appropriate, a new hair product, two pairs of jeans, and half a dozen shirts. Bakugou plods along after him like a poor, ever-patient boyfriend, even helping him carry bags, never complaining or asking to go home.

"So," Kirishima says, when finally they're on the way home, "I was thinking of going back to the mall tomorrow to get some more clothes." The look on Bakugou's face is priceless; Kirishima can't keep from laughing aloud. "Oh God, I'm just kidding."

"Fuck you."

"You wouldn't have to go with me if I did, you know."

Bakugou says nothing.

Kirishima thinks he might have figured it out. He could be wrong, of course. Maybe he is. But he can't help but think, as they walk home together, that the way Bakugou looked at him earlier was less "long-suffering boyfriend" and more "bodyguard".

He isn't sure how to feel about that. Certainly Bakugou won't be happy if he brings it up, so he decides not to. He's got to make sure his hunch is right, after all. Keep his cards close to his chest and all that.

"Let's go to the gym tomorrow morning!" Kirishima says, once they're back at their dorm building. "Or, like, early afternoon maybe. I'm not sure when I'll wake up."

"Yeah, sure."

Once he's alone, he takes out his phone and opens his conversation with Bakugou from the previous Sunday.

 **Bakugou, 1:24 pm:** where are you?

 **Bakugou, 1:48 pm:** where the fuck are you

 _Bakugou_ , he thinks. _Are you… afraid?_


	5. Chapter 5

Aizawa's supposed to meet the three of them at 8:30 in front of their dorm building. Classes are already in progress, so it's quiet when Kirishima steps out. Ashido gets there a moment after, wearing a dress and tights, her hair pushed back beneath a headband. "You look nice!" she says. "I feel like I've never seen you dressed up before!"

"Thanks," Kirishima says. "You look nice, too." He wants to tell her about Friday, about his ridiculous shopping trip and his theories about Bakugou's feelings, but not now. His stomach is twisting around itself; he'd felt so nauseous earlier that he hadn't eaten anything, just stuffed a protein bar in his pocket in case his appetite decided to kick in later.

Kaminari steps out of the dorm a few minutes later. He's wearing his school uniform; Ashido raises her eyebrows at him. "I guess that's not the worst thing you could have worn," she says.

"Oh God, it slipped my mind," Kaminari says, his face blanching.

"It – what?"

"I remembered we were doing something different but I didn't really think about it, I just got dressed like it's a normal day, oh my God do you think this is okay? I can go back and change – but I don't have any fancy clothes –"

"Denki," Ashido says, " _Denki_." She takes one of his hands in hers, threads their fingers together. "You'll be okay. You look fine! Don't worry!"

He lets out a sound that's half-whimper, half-sigh, and Kirishima looks away, feeling as if he's intruding on something private.

Aizawa shows up not long after. He's clean-shaven, his hair slicked back in a low ponytail. Kirishima marvels at the difference it makes, and wonders if part of his usual appearance is an effort to not attract any more attention than he has to – because when he's cleaned up like this, he actually looks _attractive_.

His car's a beater, though, and turns over a few times before it starts. Kirishima takes the front seat so the others can sit together in the back. There are wrappers and a few empty water bottles under his feet. Aizawa apologizes for the mess, although Kirishima wonders how sincere it is.

"So," Aizawa says, once they're on the road. "I talked to the prosecutor on Friday. He said I'm going to testify first, then Kirishima, then Ashido, and last Kaminari. You can't come into the courtroom before you're on the stand, but afterwards you can go into the audience and watch."

Kirishima's stomach flips. He wishes they could sit together as they testify, although of course that isn't how a trial goes. It would be so much more comforting to be between his friends, to feel their shoulders brush his and just know they're there. But it gives him some reassurance at least to know that because Aizawa will be testifying first, he'll be in the courtroom the entire time. If the villain tries to use his quirk on anyone, Aizawa can erase it. (Unless he uses it on Aizawa – although Kirishima doesn't let himself entertain that possibility.)

The courtroom is a huge building, brick on the outside, wood on the inside, everything polished and gleaming. Aizawa leads them to a waiting room, where the three students sit down on a bench together. Aizawa himself leans against a wall, seemingly cool and calm except for one finger that taps out a rhythm.

"Don't panic," Aizawa says, looking especially hard at Kaminari, who's chewing his fingernails down to the quick. "Speak clearly. Stop talking if there's an objection. Take your time if you need it."

"Thanks," Kirishima says. No one else says anything.

A well-dressed woman with green skin sticks her head in and tells Aizawa that he's needed, and suddenly the three students are alone together.

"Oh God," Kaminari says, "I'm so nervous, why am I so nervous?"

Ashido shushes him. "You'll be fine." She takes one of his hands in hers, gives it a squeeze. Her other arm twists around Kirishima's, so the three of them are connected. The warmth is comforting; Kirishima lets out a sigh, relaxing just a bit.

"So," Ashido says to Kirishima, after a few minutes of silence. "You and Bakugou."

He whips his head around to look at her. "What?"

She's smiling, her expression playful. "You heard me!"

"You want to talk about this here? Now?"

"Why not?" she says, laughing. "Got something else you'd rather talk about?"

Kirishima supposes she's right. It's as good a time and place as any. "I was actually wanting to talk to you," he says. "Bakugou's acting super weird lately."

" _Tell_ me about it," she says. "Weird enough that we've all noticed."

"He's like… following me around and stuff. Like he wants to be with me all the time."

"This is kind of surreal," Kaminari says, speaking for the first time in a few minutes. "I can't believe you guys are talking about Kirishima and Bakugou while we're waiting to testify? _Really_?"

"Oh, hush," Ashido says, but gently. "Go on, Kiri."

"I mean, that's basically it. He just wants to keep track of me or something. I don't really get it."

"Keep track of you, huh." She looks like she's deep in thought. "When did this all begin?"

"After I woke up from – from the villain's quirk. Ever since then, it's like he's super protective of me." Kirishima sighs. "And I guess it makes sense as to why."

Ashido nods. "Yeah. I mean… In a way, I can't blame him. No one expected this, and I think we're _all_ a little more protective of you now."

"He'll never admit it, though," Kirishima adds. "I tried to ask him about it the other day, but he acted like he had no idea what I was talking about."

"Oh, of course," Ashido says, laughing. "Bakugou? Talk about emotions? Yeah, right."

"So how do I get him to admit to it?"

"Kiri," Ashido says, "why do you need him to admit to it at all? Why does it matter if he is or not?" She pauses, and he's about to open his mouth, but she continues before he thinks of what to say. "Do you hope to gain something by talking to him about it?"

"I…" Kirishima shuts his mouth with a snap. He knows what she means.

"If you don't do anything, if you don't confront him about it, this will probably fade over time," she says. "He'll give you some space soon, if that's what you want."

How is she _so good_ at reading him? What weird second quirk does she have that lets her always tell what he's feeling? "I don't know if I want that. I kind of like having him around."

She's nodding, like she expected that all along. "So, tell him that, instead of asking why."

"Tell him?"

"Yeah! Tell him you enjoy his company. He might be happy to hear it." She smirks. "I think he enjoys your company too."

The same woman who'd fetched Aizawa earlier sticks her head through the door again. "Kirishima Eijirou," she says. "Please come into the courtroom. We're ready for you to take the stand."

His head's spinning with so much nervous energy he can hardly see as he makes his way to the front of the courtroom. He sits down where they gesture him to, scanning the audience until he sees Aizawa. Then he realizes who the unfamiliar man in front of him is, and a chill runs down his spine.

The villain is probably between thirty-five and forty, with hair that's mostly black but streaked with blonde. He has a long, thin face, large nose and deep-set dark eyes. He stares at Kirishima, looking more tired and nervous than villainous. Kirishima realizes he doesn't even know the man's name.

They ask Kirishima a handful of basic questions – his name, where he goes to school – and he feels himself getting more comfortable with being on the witness stand, as long as he avoids looking at the thin-faced stranger staring at him and instead looks either at Aizawa in the audience or the prosecutor, a small, red-eyed man with a booming voice.

"Can you tell us about the events of Saturday, October 1st?" the prosecutor asks.

"Yeah." Kirishima swallows and looks down at his hands for just a moment before raising his gaze. He tells the courtroom about how he can't remember anything – how the last thing he recalls of that day is the plan to go shopping with friends, then he was only conscious of being in a bed, unable to move, listening to the world around him go by.

The prosecutor asks him a few more questions about this time. What it felt like, did he sleep at night, is he sure he was aware of his surroundings and not just dreaming, how long it lasted. He asks about the day Kirishima was finally able to move and the call from Aizawa. Kirishima supposes he missed Aizawa testifying about the other end of that conversation and how the villain's capture went; maybe someday he'll ask about it himself.

Finally, after he's told basically all he can remember from this time (without delving into the truly mundane details), the prosecutor says he's finished, and it's the defense's turn.

The defense attorney is a tall, broad-shouldered woman with horns like a ram's and piercing yellow eyes. "You say you remember nothing of the entire day of October 1st?" she asks.

"That's right."

She gestures to her client, who looks down, not meeting Kirishima's gaze. "Do you have any recollection of meeting this man?"

"No."

She asks him a few more questions, mostly rephrasing the same idea in different ways, to which Kirishima gives the same answer again and again. No, he can't recall ever seeing that man use his quirk, or talking with him, or encountering him in any other situation. Then, in a much shorter amount of time than he expected, his time at the witness stand is over, and he's able to join Aizawa in the audience.

"You did fine," Aizawa says, which is probably as much praise as he can hope for, under the circumstances.

Ashido is next. Her expression is stony, more serious than Kirishima can remember seeing her, but she doesn't seem scared. She keeps her head high when she's answering the basic questions about herself, focusing her gaze on the prosecutor.

"Can you tell us about the events of Saturday, October 1st?" the prosecutor asks – word for word the same question he'd asked Kirishima.

She takes a deep breath. "Kirishima and me and Denki –"

"Denki?"

She pauses, blinks. "Sorry. Kaminari Denki. I was planning on going shopping with Kirishima and Kaminari. We decided to go to this mall we hadn't visited before, Takodana Mall. It's like half an hour away by bus. So for some reason Kaminari has these, like, 2-liter bottles of soda he brought with him on the bus. One for him and one for Kirishima. And they're drinking them on the bus."

Hearing about himself doing things he has absolutely no recollection of doing is a bit eerie. He glances up at Aizawa, whose face is as blank as ever.

"So, you know, I'm telling them they're idiots and stuff, and _I_ don't drink any of the soda," Ashido continues. The prosecutor is looking at her intently, almost curiously, and the defense attorney looks a bit confused. "But they – they drink almost an entire two liter bottle each." She sighs. "Okay, so, we're messing around on the bus, and we don't realize that we missed our stop, since we've never been to this mall or anything. When we realize, we get off the bus right away, but we'll have to backtrack a few blocks to get there. And, of course, they both really have to pee.

"The area is pretty quiet, and it's like 10 in the morning on a Saturday so not everything's open. So they're all like 'Oh my God Mina, we need to find a bathroom as soon as possible.' We start heading towards the mall but we see a convenience store and they both run towards that instead, since it's closer.

"I decide to wait outside. Maybe a minute has passed and suddenly a guy comes up to me from the parking lot."

"Is it this man?" the prosecutor asks her.

Ashido leans forward, her eyes narrowed. "Yes," she says, after a pause. "I think – yes. It was him."

"Are you sure?"

She nods. "I remember thinking…" She laughs nervously. "I remember thinking, 'He looks like my teacher might look, if he had highlights.' Aizawa-sensei, I mean." Kirishima feels everyone's eyes turn to look in their direction, and feels Aizawa next to him tense up. Glancing between them himself, Kirishima has to admit the resemblance is there. "At the time, the man had a lot of stubble, see, and our teacher, he usually has stubble too, so I thought it was kind of funny how much they looked alike." She pauses, the smile leaving her face. "The man pulls out a knife and asks for my money. I used my quirk to shoot acid at him, and it burned his coat but I don't think it hit his skin or anything, I'm not sure. He doesn't drop the knife, though, and I was worried he was going to try and actually stab me with it – that's when Kirishima and Kaminari came out of the convenience store."

Her eyes meet Kirishima's, just for a second, before she looks at the prosecutor again. "Kaminari, he has an electric quirk, and it's kind of dangerous when people are close together like that. So he doesn't use his quirk, but Kirishima – he sees the man with the knife and me, and he jumps on the guy, puts his arms around him and hardens – he has a hardening quirk, it makes it so people can't hurt him physically. The man tried to stab Kiri's – Kirishima's arm, and the knife breaks because of his quirk. Then, I don't even know. It was just… One second, Kirishima was holding him all hardened and Kaminari was about to call the police, and the next second Kirishima's sprawled on the ground and the man is running away.

"I had no idea what was going on – Kaminari and I were trying to wake Kirishima up, but he wouldn't wake up or move or anything. We thought he was dead." Her expression was still stony, but Kirishima could see the tension in her jaw. He was, in a way, very glad that he had no memory of the event. "Kaminari was on the phone with the police and I was trying to wake up Kirishima, and the man was gone. He'd run away and I had no idea which way he went, but mostly I didn't want to leave Kirishima."

The prosecutor has a few more questions for her, mostly about what Kirishima had looked like when he'd been under the quirk, but soon his questions for her are done.

"You say this is the same man you saw that day," the defense attorney says. "Yet you also mention the face of the man you saw was covered in stubble. How can you be so completely sure they are the same man?"

"Because… I mean, his hair's the same," Ashido says, "his eyes are the same, his face shape too. Maybe I'm not 100% sure, but I'm at least 90% sure."

Besides questioning how sure she was of the man's identity, the attorney's questions for Ashido aren't actually as harsh as Kirishima had feared they'd be. When she comes to sit next to him in the audience, Ashido leans against him and sighs deeply. "That wasn't so bad," she says, although the exhaustion in her voice belies her words somewhat.

"You did well," Aizawa says.

"So she did _well_ , but I just did _fine_?" Kirishima says in quiet mock-outrage.

Aizawa shrugs. "She did well."

Ashido laughs, and Kirishima's glad to see it.

Kaminari is next. His eyes are huge, his face blanched white. He stutters and stumbles his way through the few easy questions, and the prosecutor gives him a few more, the discomfort plain to see. It takes maybe ten questions until Kaminari is relaxed enough to answer without tripping over his words, giving the audience a chance to learn his favorite sports team, animal, and subject in school.

The story he tells after that is mostly the same as Ashido's. He leaves out the part about drinking soda on the bus, but does talk about missing their stop and running to find a bathroom. He describes coming out of the convenience store with Kirishima to see a man brandishing a knife at Ashido, describes the way Kirishima leapt on the man and held him in quirk-hardened arms, describes getting out his own phone to call the police, then the knife breaking and Kirishima crumpling to the ground, unconscious.

It's only when the defense attorney takes the stand that his testimony is significantly different from Ashido's. "Is this the man you saw during the incident?" she asks him.

Kaminari looks at the man – really looks at him, up and down, like he's trying to memorize him – and says, "I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"I mean, I _think_ he is," Kaminari says. "But I don't know for sure. Maybe I just think he is because he's in the courtroom, you know? If I saw him randomly on the street, I don't know if I'd recognize him."

"Thank you," the defense attorney says. "Nothing further."

"Fuck," Kaminari says, as soon as he's in the audience with them. "I fucked it up."

Aizawa doesn't reprimand him for his language, just looks over at him and says, "You did fine."

"I didn't," Kaminari says. He takes Ashido's proffered hand with a force that makes her wince. "I did awful."

" _You did fine_ ," Aizawa says, an edge of impatience in his voice. "You told the truth. You told your side of the story." He laughs without smiling. "I'd much rather you say 'I don't know' to every question asked than lie under oath."

"Good point," Kaminari mutters, although his expression is still dark.

To Kirishima's mild surprise, the dark-eyed man himself takes the stand. His name, it turns out, is Akeda. He is thirty-six years old and unemployed, working seasonal or odd jobs when he gets the chance. According to the story he tells as answers to his attorney's questions, he wasn't near the Takodana Mall when the event occurred – he was in a completely different neighborhood, job-hunting. He's quirkless, he says, and his lawyer presents the quirk registration that's on file as evidence. For the first time, Kirishima feels a jolt of uncertainty, despite Ashido's conviction. Maybe they have the wrong man…?

When the prosecutor takes the stand, Kirishima can see fire in his eyes. "I was able to get the full records from the Quirk Registration Office," he says, righteous anger in his voice. "It includes all changes made within the subject's lifetime. You submitted a change of quirk form on Monday, October 3rd, nearly as soon as the office opened that morning." He brandishes a piece of paper in front of him like a sword. "Your previous quirk was called 'Sleep Paralysis.'"

It feels like a moment straight out of a drama: the prosecutor makes a triumphant gesture with the piece of paper, and the attorney lets out a sound of surprise that turns into a cough. Akeda himself seems resigned, looking down at his folded, handcuffed hands.

"'Sleep Paralysis,'" reads the prosecutor. "'Users of this quirk can put anyone they touch into a state of complete immobility that lasts between ten and twenty days. It can only be used on one person at a time. Those affected retain complete consciousness, including senses of hearing and touch.'"

In addition to all that, apparently when he was found, the man was wearing a coat with holes in the sleeve and chest – holes consistent with Ashido's acid. When finally the prosecutor says "Nothing further," his face is positively shining with sweat and pride.

"That villain's an idiot," Aizawa says. After Akeda's testimony was done, Aizawa had decided it was time to go – they didn't even need to listen to the closing arguments. Kirishima couldn't help but agree. He wasn't sure what there was to gain by listening to them reiterate what he'd already heard.

They reach the campus just before lunchtime. "I'm going to teach my afternoon classes, but you don't have to go," Aizawa says. "I mean, you can if you want, of course."

"Yeah, right," Kaminari says. Kirishima feels the same.

As soon as the cafeteria's open for lunch, he grabs a pre-packaged sandwich and zooms back to his room. He doesn't know why, but he doesn't want to be around anyone else – doesn't want to answer their questions, and really doesn't want their pitying, curious looks.

Kirishima tenses when there's a knock on his door, but it's only Kaminari. "I saw you in the cafeteria, but you were too fast!" he says, sitting on the floor next to Kirishima. "Can I chill in here with you?"

"Yeah, sure."

In ten minutes or so, Ashido joins them. As soon as she's sitting on the floor as well, Kaminari turns to her.

"That was awful," he says. "I did so bad."

"Dude, stop saying that," she says, placing her hand on Kaminari's cheek. "Babe. Don't cry. Seriously, you did _well_."

"I don't think Aizawa would say you did fine if it wasn't true," Kirishima says. "He's not the type to lie to make us feel better."

"It doesn't matter anyways," Ashido says. "It's over. Denki, _it's over_."

Kaminari holds her and cries into her shoulder, and Kirishima, hoping he doesn't seem too much like a creepy third wheel, puts his arms around them both. She's right, he knows. It's over.

The weight on his shoulders – it doesn't go away entirely. But it's a little lighter now.


	6. Chapter 6

Kirishima thought he was done with this whole isolating himself thing, but in the afternoon after the trial he just feels so _tired_. The idea of discussing it with anyone who wasn't there sounds exhausting. He spends the day on his phone, lounging around and trying to make time pass more quickly – which of course makes it drag.

Around the time he normally grabs dinner, he gets a text from Bakugou. _You eaten yet?_

Kirishima knows if he doesn't reply, Bakugou will come and knock on his door, but he's still torn. Part of him wants to lie and say he has in order to remain in his quiet little bubble, but part of him knows it's futile – Bakugou will come bursting in whether Kirishima wants him there or not. And, somehow, Kirishima will end up liking it.

 _No_ , he texts. _You?_

There's no reply, but a minute later, he hears the telltale sound of Bakugou kicking his door. "Come on, Shitty Hair, you're so fucking slow!"

He should have known Bakugou wasn't the type to ask annoying personal questions. He rants about classes between mouthfuls of food, and Kirishima realizes with a warmth in his chest that it's Bakugou's way of catching him up on things he missed.

It dawns on him at that exact moment – six-something in the evening on the day of the trial – that his feelings for Bakugou have grown and changed over the past few weeks like they're a living thing, from raw gratitude to simply wanting to near him and being used to his presence. Kirishima likes having Bakugou there. He likes the way Bakugou seems to have his schedule memorized and even likes his weird protective streak.

It's not such a leap for Kirishima to realize (as he steals a glance at Bakugou's face) that maybe, somehow, he doesn't just like these things. Maybe he actually likes Bakugou.

It seems so natural that the thought hardly takes him by surprise, even though it's taken a long time for him to reach this deduction. When he dares to look at Bakugou again, he's staring at Kirishima, eyes narrowed. "Someone shit in your food?" Bakugou asks.

"Huh?"

"You haven't eaten anything."

Kirishima's apparently such a one-track-minded idiot that he literally cannot think and eat at the same time. "Whoops," he says, "just got distracted," and shoves forkfuls of chicken into his mouth, earning a raised eyebrow from Bakugou but thankfully no more questions.

They sit in Kirishima's room after dinner, Bakugou doing homework and using his phone, Kirishima pretending to use his phone but mostly just thinking. He's a slow thinker, unlike Bakugou himself, who always seems to get from Point A to Point B before Kirishima can blink. But he's got time, and it's nice to sit there, just the two of them.

Now he's hyperaware of Bakugou's every movement. Bakugou's on his bed, lying on top of the blankets, his head resting on Kirishima's pillow. It's the same position he always takes when they hang out together, but somehow Kirishima has never noticed how intimate it is. Bakugou's face is resting against Kirishima's own pillow, and when he next sleeps on it, it will be like… a secondhand face touch. That's something, right?

He's got to talk to Ashido about his feelings. She would know what to do, probably without him even having to explain anything. At least he already did talk to her about Bakugou earlier that day. "Tell him you enjoy his company," she'd said, although Kirishima isn't sure how to do that without it seeming really out of the blue and awkward. And of course it's still technically talking about feelings, which he knows Bakugou hates.

But he has to say something. He _has_ to. So Kirishima musters up the courage to say, "I'm really glad you came and got me for dinner. I wasn't paying attention, so I probably would have just missed it if you hadn't."

Bakugou looks down at him. "Yeah, 'cause you're a fucking idiot who doesn't even know when he's hungry."

Kirishima laughs. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Maybe that got the message across, at least. Bakugou's looking at him with mild surprise, like he expected Kirishima to have some kind of witty retort instead of just laughing and admitting to it. Their eyes meet and Kirishima feels his face soften into a half-smile; he doesn't drop his gaze, so Bakugou is forced to look away first. Kirishima hopes he isn't imagining the tinge of pink on Bakugou's cheeks.

Kirishima gets tired early, and Bakugou seems to notice – maybe it has something to do with the nonstop yawning – so it's not long before Bakugou rises and gathers his things. "See you tomorrow, I guess," he says, lingering in the doorway, and Kirishima realizes that Bakugou _does_ actually say goodnight to him now. He used to think he never would, that it was just so un-Bakugou-like that it would never happen. It makes him grin, and Bakugou eyes him oddly.

 _I want to kiss him_ , Kirishima thinks, although he knows that that's definitely not going to fly. So he does the next best thing and, hardly thinking about it, gives Bakugou a hug.

Kirishima feels him tense at first; Bakugou's hands are full with his books, so he can't hug back. After just a moment, though, he feels Bakugou relax and lean towards him. Then Kirishima pulls away. _It's possible to have too much of a good thing,_ he thinks. _I don't want to get anywhere close to that line_. It's better not to risk lingering too long, for fear he might creep Bakugou out. There's still a not-insignificant risk that Bakugou's just a super-protective straight friend. And of course that would be fine, if a little disappointing. So he can't risk it.

"Goodnight!" Kirishima says, and Bakugou, looking a little stunned, steps out into the hallway and walks back to his own room.

The next day, Aizawa asks Kirishima, Ashido, and Kaminari to stay after class. Kirishima's expecting it, has been wondering about it all day. Even so, he feels a lump in his throat.

"He was found guilty," Aizawa says, as soon as the rest of the class is outside and the door's been shut. Kirishima lets out a breath he didn't even realize he'd been holding in.

"How long's he in jail for?" Ashido asks.

"The sentencing hasn't happened yet," Aizawa says. "I'll keep you updated."

Bakugou's waiting for him outside the classroom doors. That doesn't surprise Kirishima either. He can't bring himself to say anything out loud, but luckily he doesn't have to.

"Guilty!" Ashido exclaims, pumping her fist in the air.

" _Good_ ," Bakugou says, and Kirishima gets the real sense that if the villain had been found not guilty, Bakugou might have exploded something.

Kirishima thinks of the thin-faced, dark-eyed man he'd seen yesterday. He thinks of silence stretching in front of him like a hallway, dark and endless and so, so lonely. He can't quite connect them, can't quite convince himself that the nervous, resigned man – the villain, Kirishima keeps calling him, although he knows his name now – has anything in common with Kirishima's week of hell, Ashido's shock and Kaminari's blind terror. He can't quite bring himself to be any more than relieved it's over.

"Good," he finally says when he realizes Bakugou's looking at him strangely. "I'm glad."

If Bakugou has feelings for him – a big fat _if_ – he will _never_ act on them. Kirishima can say that with utter certainty. Bakugou is all bluster and bravado, but when it comes down to it, he's not as brave as he talks, and feelings are his nemesis.

Kirishima's more neutral on the topic. He's inexperienced, of course, but he's not allergic to talking about emotions. So it's got to be him. He just has to find the words. He thinks he's got them, once or twice, but always chickens out when he sees Bakugou's look of fierce concentration, or boredom, or contentment, or happiness – when he sees Bakugou's face in general, really.

It goes on like that for a few days until Friday. Kirishima doesn't want to go out anywhere, he just wants to chill in his dorm, so he grabs his laptop and the two of them sit next to each other on the bed, picking out a movie to watch that doesn't look too cheesy or boring.

Kirishima finds himself doing that thing where, when he finds something funny, he looks over at Bakugou to see if he's laughing too – except Bakugou does the same thing, and they end up making eye contact every time. It's a little awkward, Kirishima thinks, but kind of endearing at the same time. He likes it, likes meeting Bakugou's eyes and seeing him smile, like Kirishima's laughter is infectious.

Until, on the third or fourth time this happens, Bakugou holds the eye contact, stares at Kirishima's mouth for a moment, then leans forward and _kisses him._

Bakugou just brings their mouths together, doesn't move his lips or jaw or anything, so the kiss doesn't actually feel like much of anything to Kirishima. They separate after just a second or two.

"Uh," Kirishima hears himself saying. "Uhhh…"

He honestly cannot believe it. He's been steeling himself to confess for so long that he completely forgot that, you know, _Bakugou might do something first_. He hasn't prepared himself for that possibility at all, and feels as if he's been thrown into the deep end of a pool and is now flailing furiously.

The movie's still playing. Kirishima hits the space bar to pause it and stares at Bakugou, who's looking at the screen, face completely red.

"I'm – gonna go," Bakugou says finally, sliding away from Kirishima and jumping out of the bed.

Kirishima wills himself to find his voice, because if he doesn't say something now there's a very good chance Bakugou will never look him in the eye again. "Wait!" he says, and Bakugou does, his hand just resting on the doorknob, his back to Kirishima. "Bakugou, what _was_ that?"

Bakugou doesn't move or say anything. _Talk_ , Kirishima tells himself, _keep talking, don't let him leave_. "Why did you kiss me?" No answer. "Please talk to me, dude, come on…"

"Why do you always have to talk about things," Bakugou says, and even if his tone is icy, little more than a growl, Kirishima still jumps for joy internally because at least he's talking.

"How am I supposed to know what you mean if you don't tell me?" Kirishima rises from the bed. He stays a few feet away from Bakugou, as if Bakugou is a scared animal that might be startled into fleeing.

"It's a fucking _kiss_ ," Bakugou says, turning around. He's still blushing, and he doesn't meet Kirishima's eyes. "What _else_ can it mean?"

"I've been trying to think of ways to tell you for so long," Kirishima says, feeling himself smile. "I guess I should have just kissed you instead of bothering to think of the words to say."

Bakugou finally meets his eyes. "Hah?"

"I like you too!" Kirishima says, biting his lip. Even after being kissed, the words are hard to get out. "I like you, I really like being around you, I'm glad we're spending so much time together, dude, and seeing you is the best part of my day!"

"Shut the fuck up," Bakugou mutters, in a way that's almost affectionate. "You're embarrassing."

"It's true!" Kirishima says.

They look at each other for a few seconds.

"There," Bakugou says, "we talked about it. Happy?"

"Yeah," Kirishima says. "Now come here and kiss me again."

It's much better this time, now that he's expecting it. He keeps his eyes on Bakugou until they're too close for him to focus – he gets to see the look of nervousness and excitement cross his face – and when they kiss, it's warm and soft, not quick and chaste like it was the first time. Bakugou pulls away after just a few seconds, but Kirishima follows him, continuing the kiss. He finds one of Bakugou's hands and holds it, and Bakugou holds his hand back, clasping so tightly it's almost-but-not-quite painful.

"How long have you liked me?" Kirishima asks after they break apart at last.

"That's – you're embarrassing," Bakugou says again, which Kirishima is quickly figuring out means _he's_ the one feeling embarrassed.

"I realized on Monday," Kirishima says, "although it really snuck up on me. I think I've liked you for a lot longer and I was just too dense to see."

Bakugou's silent, and Kirishima realizes he's actually thinking about it. "I dunno how long," he says at last, very quiet. "But like… when you were under the quirk. That's when I…"

"Yeah," Kirishima says, "yeah, I know."

"You don't have to act so damn cheerful!" Bakugou says. There's anger in his voice all of a sudden. "When they piss you off, you don't have to laugh and say it's okay. When they ask questions you don't wanna answer, _don't answer them_."

"Who are you talking about?" Kirishima asks. "Who's 'they'?"

"Deku," Bakugou says. "No, not just Deku. Everyone! You just always say you're fine, but you don't have to act like you're fine!"

Kirishima wasn't sure where, precisely, this was coming from – probably something days or weeks old that had been festering in Bakugou like a wound. A crack in the dam and it all spills out. "Maybe I don't want to talk to them about it," Kirishima says at last. "Sometimes it's easier to lie a little and say I'm fine, rather than explaining to half the class why I'm not."

Bakugou sucks in a breath and looks at him through narrowed eyes. "You don't have to do that to me," he says. "Lie, I mean. Or hold back."

"I try not to lie to you," Kirishima says. "I feel like you know when I do."

It hits him a moment later, what Bakugou means by the second sentence. He's been underestimating Bakugou this whole time, telling himself _Bakugou isn't good with feelings_ , _I don't want to burden him with them_ , and Bakugou's looking back at him now and saying, _Try me_.

"I don't think I can repay how you helped me," he says. "You, them, everyone. Everyone in our class. But especially you. I never thought…" He was nearing tears, torn between trying to hold them back and just letting it go. "I never thought you would read to me. That was… that was the best part. Hearing your voice. I was such a burden to everyone, and they all helped me out without complaining even once."

"Fucking hell, Kirishima," Bakugou says, "you're an idiot, no one thought of you as a _burden_. If they did, they could just, you know, _not go to the hospital_. What you just said is the stupidest thing I've ever heard." Kirishima knows him well enough at this point to recognize the affection in his voice, even when it comes off like roughness and anger. "It doesn't really matter if, you know, it was inconvenient for some people, or it got boring for someone else or whatever. It doesn't matter! Because you had it a _million fucking times worse_. I swear to God, Kirishima," he goes on, dropping his voice low, "I don't know how you fucking survived it. I don't think I could. It – it would honestly be hell. I think I would rather just die."

"Don't talk like that."

"I'm not kidding," Bakugou says. "Anyway. Look. I was there. I saw them in the classroom. I saw them in the hospital. And I can tell you, no one there, no one who volunteered, thought of you as a burden. At all. Not Pink Face, or Pikachu, or – or – Deku, or me."

Kirishima hugs him. It's the same way he hugged Ashido the first day he came home from the hospital; he clutches Bakugou against himself, pressing his face to Bakugou's shoulder. He knows Bakugou probably feels the wetness of his tears, the shakes in his body as he sobs, but that's okay. It's probably expected. Bakugou raises one arm to pat his back weakly, but it's just having him here, having the warmth and heat of another human, that Kirishima is really after. The fact that that human is _Bakugou_ just makes it even better.

"Thanks," Kirishima says, sniffling, after they've broken apart. "I think I needed that."

"You really fucking did," Bakugou says.

"Hey, dude," Kirishima says after a pause, "are you worried about me?"

"Huh?" Bakugou says, his face wrinkling up in confusion.

"Why'd you come with me to the mall if you didn't want to shop?"

"Why the fuck are you bringing this up again?" Bakugou says. "What does this have to do with anything?"

"My quirk is literally just becoming invincible," Kirishima says. "I'm pretty sure I can go to the mall by myself without…"

And then it hits him. He can't even finish the sentence. "No, you fucking _can't_ ," Bakugou says, gripping Kirishima's shoulders. "I mean, I always thought – if someone were to get attacked – I thought you'd be fine. I never thought it would be you. So seeing you there – you looked dead, I didn't…"

It's Kirishima's turn to pull Bakugou close and let him bury his face in his shoulder. He's not crying, but Kirishima can feel Bakugou's fingers curling in the back of his T-shirt. When they break apart, neither says anything. He puts his hand lightly on Bakugou's cheek, pulling his face towards him until they're close enough to kiss again.

The less distance between them, the better.

That night, for the first time since the day he sent it – the day he left the hospital – he checks the group text he created.

He reads the messages, all of them.

 _Hey! That's awesome news!_

 _Glad to hear it! Let me know if you need help catching up with schoolwork._

 _Omg I'm so glad…..dude we missed you_

 _We love you Kirishima!_

 _See you at school tomorrow!_

He reads them and smiles and starts crying, stupid happy tears, because he knows, somehow, that it's true. They do love him. They missed him. He isn't a burden – he never was.

He falls asleep with a smile on his face.


End file.
